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Salmon River Platinum Placer Mine

Producer in Alaska, United States with commodities PGE, Gold, Chromium, Mercury
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Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10002307
MRDS ID A013215
Record type Site
Current site name Salmon River Platinum Placer Mine
Alternate or previous names Claims:

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -161.74462, 58.86981 (WGS84)
Elevation 15
Relative position 3.7 MI. S OF GOODNEWS MINING CAMP
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Geographic areas

Country State
United States Alaska

Comments on the location information

  • USGS MF-362, LOC. 12 (APPROXIMATE LOCATION). USGS P 938, FIG. 3 (EXACT LOCATION). LOCATION IS AT DOWNSTREAM EXTENT OF KNOWN PAYSTREAK. PLACER EXTENDS UP SALMON RIVER 6 MI. NE TO MOUTH OF CLARA CREEK. LAND STATUS VALUE CALCULATED 6-94 USING GIS OVERLAY ANALYSIS WITH BLM 1:2,500,000 SCALE OWNERSHIP STATUS MAP (1991).

Commodities

Commodity Importance
PGE Primary
Gold Secondary
Chromium Tertiary
Mercury Tertiary

Comments on the commodity information

  • GOLD IS ALIEN MINERAL INTRODUCED BY GLACIATION. PGM OFTEN INTERGROWN WITH MAGNETITE, CHROMITE. A SINGLE MICRODIAMOND OCCLUDED ONTO A PLATINUM GRAIN WAS FOUND DURING DREDGING IN 1986.

Materials information

Materials Type of material
Mercury Ore
Ilmenite Gangue
Chromite Unknown
Cinnabar Unknown

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Gravel
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Holocene
  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Unconsolidated Deposit > Till

Nearby scientific data

(1) -161.74462, 58.86981
ListMap

Comments on the geologic information

  • BEDROCK FLOOR OF SALMON RIVER CHARACTERIZED BY ONE OR MORE V-SHAPED INCISIONS CHARACTERISTIC OF INCOMPLETE STREAM REJUVINATION FOLLOWING GLACIATION. ; MAJOR.UNITS: BEDROCK CONSISTS OF MES-PAL GRAYWACKE, SILICEOUS ARGILLITE, CHERT, ANDESITE DIKES AND SILLS, AND SILICEOUS TUFFS. ; REG.COM: SOURCE OF PLATINUM METALS IS ULTRAMAFIC ROCKS OF GOODNEWS BAY ULTRAMAFIC COMPLEX ON RED MTN., TRANSPORTED BY TRIBUTARY STREAMS TO THE WEST OF SALMON RIVER. GOLD IS PROBABLY FROM GLACIAL MORAINE IN SALMON RIVER VALLEY.

Economic information

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Producer
Commodity type Metallic
Deposit size Medium
Significant No
Year of first production 1937
Year of last production 1986

Mining district

District name Goodnews Bay

Comments on the workings information

  • STREAM VALLEY AND BENCH PAYSTREAKS WORKED BY DREDGE WITH SEVERAL PARALLEL CUTS OVER LENGTH OF PAYSTREAKS TOTALING APPROXIMATELY 15-20 MI OF CUTS UP TO 50 FT. DEEP. BENCH PAYSTREAK ALSO MINED WITH DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR TO 40 FT. DEEP. CONSIDERABLE CHURN DRILLING DONE FOR EXPLORATION.

Comments on development

  • LITTLE MINING UNTIL 1937, WHEN DREDGE WAS CONSTRUCTED BY GOODNEWS BAY MINING CO. DREDGE IN OPERATION FROM 1937-1975. BENCH CLAIMS MINED 1942-1957 WITH DRAGLINE EXCAVATOR. SINCE 1975, MINING HAS BEEN SPORADIC, MAINLY REWORKING OLD TAILINGS WITH DREDGE. "MUD HOG" PLANT USED TO REWORK BENCH TAILINGS IN 1966. 34 STREAM PLACER AND APPROXIMATELY 70 BENCH PLACER CLAIMS ESTABLISHED ON SALMON RIVER, NOT COUNTING TRIBUTARIES. CLAIMS PURCHASED BY HANSON PROPERTIES IN 1980.

Reference information

Links to other databases

Agency Database name Acronym Record ID Notes
USGS Mineral Resources Data System MRDS A013215

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    USGS P 938, P. 4-7, 27-39 (1976)

  • Deposit

    USGS MF-362, LOC. 12 (1972)

  • Deposit

    USGS OF 80-909, P. 27 (1980)

  • Deposit

    USBM 51-86, P. 2, 6, 7 (1986)

  • Deposit

    ADGGS SR 40, P. 29 (1987)

  • Other Database

    BAG-MF-362-12

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit PLACER CONSISTS OF TWO PAYSTREAKS: VALLEY FLOOR AND BENCH. THE VALLEY FLOOR PAYSTREAK EXTENDS 6 MI. FROM MOUTH OF CLARA CREEK TO CLAIM 15B. WIDTH VARIES FROM 250-1000 FT. THICKNESS VARIES FROM 30 FT. UPSTREAM TO 75 FT. DOWNSTREAM. PLACER CONSISTS OF GRAVELS 6-8 IN. DIAMETER, WITH OCCASIONAL BOULDERS TO 2 FT. DIAMETER. PRECIOUS METALS MAY EXTEND AT LEAST 3 FT. INTO BEDROCK. BENCH PAYSTREAK EXTENDS 4.4 MILES, WITH AN ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE, BUT UNCONFIRMED, 4.5 MI. SOUTH TO CHAGVAN BAY. BENCH PAYSTREAK IS TO THE EAST OF VALLEY FLOOR, AND CONTIGUOUS WITH IT FOR SHORT DISTANCE. BEDROCK OF BENCH CHANNEL IS 0-80 FT. HIGHER THAN VALLEY FLOOR BEDROCK. WIDTH OF PAYSTREAK IS 200-1,200 FT., DEPTH IS FROM 10 FT. AT NORTHERN LIMIT TO 125 FT. AT SOUTHERN LIMIT OF PAYSTREAK AT OLSON BENCH CLAIM. ALLUVIUM OF BENCH PAYSTREAK IS 80% CLAY AND 20% GRAVEL, REWORKED FROM GLACIAL MORAINE. GRAVEL IS SUBROUNDED TO SUBANGULAR, 2-3 IN. DIA., WITH SOME COBBLES, AND OCCURS AS LENTICULAR BEDS INLAID IN
Deposit CLAY, 6 IN. TO 3 FT. THICK. PRECIOUS METALS RECOVERED FROM LOWER 6-8 FT. OF CLAY AND GRAVEL AND UPPER 3-4 FT. OF ALTERED BEDROCK.
Deposit GRADIENT OF VALLEY FLOOR PAYSTREAK BEDROCK IS 41.2 FT./MI., GRADIENT OF BENCH PAYSTREAK CHANNEL BEDROCK IS 54.7 FT./MI.. POTENTIAL RESERVES OF BENCH PAYSTREAK ARE CONSIDERABLY GREATER THAN VALLEY FLOOR PAYSTREAK. LARGEST (ONLY!) PGM MINE IN UNITED STATES. ; INFO.SRC : 1 PUB LIT
Deposit THIS SITE NAME WAS CREATED BY THE REPORTER OR OTHER USGS EMPLOYEE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO SOME MAJOR GEOGRAPHIC FEATURE.

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-MAY-87 Leonard, Kenneth R. (Huber, Donald F.) U.S. Geological Survey